In figures released by the HPA Tuesday, net revenues increased 2.88 per cent over 2014 to $4.395 million.

“We focus on earnings from operations before other income and expenses (operating income) as a key measure of our financial performance and that amount is up 6.63 per cent to $16.114 million,” Farguson said.

The HPA is mandated to be self-sufficient and profits are reinvested in port infrastructure, he added.

First quarter cargo figures also released Tuesday, show container cargo jumped 28 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2015. Twenty-foot equivalent units increased to 114,421 from 89,367. Container tonnage increased 28.4 per cent to 930,826 metric tonnes from 725,134 metric tonnes in the first quarter of 2015.

Farguson said the increases reflect the additional business brought to the port by the new and expanded services at the port’s two container terminals. French shipping line CMA CGM added Halifax as a weekly call on its Columbus Suez service calling on the southend Halterm facility and the G6 Alliance, calling on the Ceres-operated Fairview Cove terminal, expanded its Asia Express (AZX) service.

Farguson said other influences on the cargo increases were the stronger U.S. dollar and the lower cost of bunker fuel.

Non-containerized cargo at HPA facilities was up 52.7 per cent with steady cargo flows over both the Richmond and Ocean terminals. Both facilities handle general and breakbulk cargo.

Non-containerized cargo at non-port authority facilities showed a 20.9 per cent decrease in imports over the same period last year and a 19.1 per cent decline in exports.

Port-wide tonnage (both port authority and non-port authority facilities) for the first quarter of 2016 stood at 1,856,411 metric tonnes, up 0.5 per cent over the first quarter of 2015.